New Stowmarket Town director of football Andonis Wolverson gives his full backing to manager Richard Wilkins and assistant Alex Rossis to continue relegation fight
They may be winless after 13 fixtures but Stowmarket Town’s new director of football has given his full backing to the current management team to continue their fight against relegation.
The Old Gold & Blacks, six points from safety in the now solitary relegation spot – following East Thurrock United’s withdrawal – in the Pitching In Isthmian League North Division, have appointed Andonis Wolverson to be their director of football.
It sees the locally-based 34-year-old make an unusual step up from club secretary, which he took on in January having initially joined as fixtures secretary a year previously.
But having spent pre-season on the bench with manager Richard Wilkins and assistant Alex Rossis as part of learning the role while he was taking Professional Football Scouts Association (PFSA) qualifications, he is confident they are the right people for him to work with.
“People have to remember we've got Richard Wilkins somebody who is very, very experienced at this level and bringing in players,” he said of Bury Town’s most successful manager who has also had spells in charge of Leiston and Needham Market.
"His knowledge of players is fantastic so there is no question of us sitting here having a conversation about whether we're going to get rid of him as that's just not going to happen.
"I'm not a firm believer in just changing the management team, and I understand sometimes those changes do have to be made, but in this case, I don't think so.
"There is a lot of performances where it has been on a knife-edge and perhaps the results have not always reflected what Wilks is trying to do, but I've seen enough of what he's trying to do does have 100 per cent of our confidence.
"We sat and spoke the other day and came up with a bit of a plan about the next six to seven games and how we want to see things progress and then we'll obviously sit and reassess things there.
"Wilks is someone I speak to daily and the same with Alex so I fully understand what he is trying to do and I'm fully behind it.
"We just have to try and muscle the resources to try and make that happen."
Almost an entirely new playing squad, largely young and inexperienced at the level, had to be brought in at Greens Meadow over the summer following donor Tom Morley withdrawing his financial support.
But Wolverson is excited about the impact he can now have with overseeing the first-team, under-23s and under-18s to take the club forward.
While looking to help increase the experience level, improving squad confidence and why messages are not translating as they should from the training to the pitch are immediate areas for him in the first team, at the heart of his vision for the club is creating a one club philosophy.
“I get the first team is our bread and butter but we’ve got a very competitive under-23s side that is sitting top of their league and in two semi-finals,” he said.
“So if we are going to take a player and try him in the first team we want to make sure that it’s done at the right time where we’re not doing it at the detriment to other things going on in the club.
“I’m a firm believer in the ethos I am putting out there. I’ve created this ‘one club, our club since 1883’ tag line because I want people to start believing that we are one club and everything that we do from under-6s all the way up to our first team is the same.
“So I will be making sure everyone is on the same hymn sheet from the ethos to the way we want to play football or what do we want from the football that we’re playing? Rather than just putting 11 players on the pitch.”
Providing more open communication with the fanbase is also something he said is looking to deliver as part of his role.
His full statement to supporters on what he hopes to achieve can be found here.
On the pitch, Stow lost 3-1 at Walthamstow on Tuesday with Jack Newman replying with a 58th minute consolation.
They host 16th-placed Enfield tomorrow (3pm).
